The option to participate in collective assurance activities is welcome, but this article makes the case for more guidance from sectoral regulators and competition authorities to allow banks and their service providers to truly get comfortable.
13 June 2024In this In Practice article, Daniel Nevzat provides a short overview of the Climate Delegated Act outlining the technical screening criteria (TSC) which set the conditions for an economic activity to qualify as contributing substantially to climate change mitigation or climate change adaptation under the EU Taxonomy Regulation.
13 June 2024The recent increase in the use of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) has been generating much discussion in the press, the finance industry and among lawyers and regulators. The trend began in the US and is spreading across the globe, with securities exchanges in a number of jurisdictions competing to position themselves as an alternative listing venue of choice for SPACs. In this In Practice article, the authors consider their structure and risk profile and whether the securities that they issue have the potential to be a new asset class for margin lenders.
13 June 2024In this In Practice article Charles Kerrigan considers automation and standardisation in commercial lending transactions. Part 2 of this article considers the effect on these topics of the fintech industry’s development.
13 June 2024Whilst standards like the Equator Principles and the Responsible Ship Recycling Standards have been applied to specific sectors or asset classes for some time, standards with wider application to the bond and loan markets are now gaining traction. These often have different purposes and consequences for non-compliance. With regulatory frameworks and market practice still developing, further innovation in sustainable debt standards and the refinement of existing standards is expected.
13 June 2024Following the end of the transition period after the UK’s departure from the EU, the UK’s autonomous sanctions regime (under the Sanctions and Money Laundering Act 2018 (SAMLA 2018)) came into force on 31 December 2020. This regime is largely similar to the EU sanctions regime, but there are several differences which may have implications for financial institutions’ sanctions compliance programmes.
13 June 2024Crypto is now mainstream. Charles Kerrigan highlights the impact of this across financial markets and concludes that finance lawyers can be late to a party.
13 June 2024We are witnessing a rapid development and adoption of algorithms. At the same time, we need to develop the monitoring and managing of their safety. In the algorithmic age companies are (and should be) increasingly concerned about potential harm that their systems can cause, both in terms of reputation and financially. Knight Capital’s experience (~$450m) caused by a glitch in its algorithmic trading system is a paradigmatic example. As such, in addition to societal, legislative and regulatory pressures, companies themselves are keen to assure their systems are trustworthy.1
13 June 2024The appeal in ZXC v Bloomberg is expected to be heard by the Supreme Court later this year. The outcome of this appeal could diminish the expectation of privacy currently afforded to individuals under investigation by law enforcement agencies. With the law on corporate criminal liability under review by the Law Commission, and a growing appetite for claims against senior executives in the financial services sector, this is a case to watch. This piece provides a refresher on the rights currently conferred on suspects.
13 June 2024On 24 December 2020, the UK and EU finally reached agreement on a post-Brexit trade deal. As expected, and as acknowledged by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday 27 December,1 that agreement contains very limited provision for cross-border trade in financial services. On the same day, Chancellor Rishi Sunak suggested that the UK will now be able to “do things a bit differently” on financial services. This In Practice article briefly examines what that could mean for UK financial sector regulation in the near future and beyond.
13 June 2024